In the coming week, the sky over the United States will be illuminated by two meteor showers at once: how to see them

Two meteor showers will grace the night sky in December, one of which is known for producing many bright shooting stars. NJ.

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meteor shower Heminides will be the first of these, and will be followed by a meteor shower at the end of the month, known as Ursids.

When can you see the Geminid meteor shower?

The annual Geminid meteor shower typically produces 50 to 100 meteors per hour, and even up to 120 per hour in dark places during peak activity.

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Although this year's meteor shower began in late November and will last until Christmas, the Geminids are expected to be most active during the Tuesday evening hours. 13 December, and in the early morning hours of Wednesday, 14 December.

Since the moon will be approximately 75% visible in December, the faintest meteors will be difficult to spot. But experts say the Geminids are known to produce white and bright meteors, so many of them should be visible this year.

While most meteor showers come from comets, the Geminids are actually small fragments of an asteroid known as 3200 Phaeton. Another meteor shower associated with an asteroid is quadrantidespeaking at the beginning of January.

The Geminids were named after the constellation Gemini "because meteors seem to come from that constellation in the sky," according to TimeAndDate.com.

When can you see the Ursids meteor shower?

The last meteor shower of 2022 will be a meteor shower Ursid, which will be visible in the northern hemisphere 17 to 26 December and will probably achieve peak late hours 22 December and early morning hours 23 December.

“Visibility should be good for this Ursid meteor shower,” says Space.com. “The sky will be devoid of bright moonlight when the new moon arrives on December 23.”

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The Ursids meteor shower typically generates five to ten shooting stars per hour, with the greatest number occurring in the darkest places. However, from time to time the number of shooting stars may increase.

Meteor shower tips

As with any meteor shower, it's best to find a viewing spot as far away from bright city or street lights as possible. And don't forget extra blankets if the weather in your area is cold.

Give your eyes about 20 minutes to get used to the dark sky.

Even though meteor showers get their name from the constellation they come from, astronomy experts say it's best not to focus on these parts of the sky.

“To see meteors, you have to look across the sky,” said Amy Gallagher, director of the planetarium at Raritan Valley Community College and secretary of the Mid-Atlantic Planetarium Society.

“You don't need to use a telescope or binoculars to watch a meteor shower,” she noted. “Just use your eyes and look at the sky.” She said your viewing time also affects the number of shooting stars you might notice.

“Meteor showers are best seen after midnight,” Gallagher said. “This is when the part of the Earth you are on is moving in a stream of space debris left behind by the parent comet.”

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This year, however, bright moonlight can interfere with nighttime and post-midnight viewing of the Geminid meteor shower. Because of this, Gallagher says, "you may have better luck looking for meteors in the evening before moonrise."

In the New York area, the moon should begin to rise around 21:30 pm on December 13 and around 22:30 pm on December 14.

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